What Becomes of The Broken Hearted
by spikeyhairgood
Summary: Sequel to I Wish It Would Rain. The Mercers’ are back in town, making them deal with the things they left behind. Family, girlfriends, and teasing Jack. It’s supposed to be just like the old days. Right? But nobody expected Victor Sweet to be missed.
1. Stomach Churn

_Summary: Sequel to I Wish It Would Rain. The Mercers' are together again, and they are getting their lives back together. Sofi and Bobby fighting, classic Jack and Nikki arguments, and brother brawls. It's supposed to be just like the old days. But nobody expected someone to miss Victor Sweet._

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything, but Nikki. _

_A/N: Since I Wish It Would Rain was pretty well liked, I've decided to write a sequel. Hooray, throw confetti. The reason I'm writing this sequel in the first place was because of the reviewers, and people who put the last story on their favorites or story alerts, so many many thanks to you guys. I hope you readers like this story just as much as you liked the last one. I'm sketchy about the idea of how the story is so far, so please, leave the feedback and reviews._

_- Title comes from another great Temptations song.   
- Sketchy about the summary too, so it may change in the future.  
_

- - - - - - - - - - -

"You know what Bobby needs?" Nikki asked, her body on Jack's bed, her elbows propped up, as her head was beside Jack's.

"Bobby needs a lot of things, Nick," Jack said, tuning his guitar.

Nikki looked out the window. It was nice to look out the window and not know how cold it actually was outside because they could feel the air from Evelyn's broken window, covered, and protected by wood. It took a short time, compared to other houses getting rebuilt, but the house was finally done, with new windows and all. Plus, it was nice to not sleep with layers of clothing on because if you didn't, there was a good chance you'd get frostbite.

"No," Nikki said. She popped an M&M into her mouth, "He needs a girlfriend." Jack laughed, "I know it sounds hilarious, but we should find him one."

Jack's guitar string squeaked as he directed his look at her, and raised an eyebrow, "Are you fucking crazy?"

Nikki gave him a weird look, "Sometimes, but I'm fucking serious. Let's find him a girlfriend."

Jack shook his head, "First off, Bobby wouldn't let us find him a girlfriend. Second, where the hell are we gonna get a girl that would even deal with Bobby? Third, what the hell is Bobby's type?"

Nikki thought, "Hm. Well, we could ask him what kind of girl he likes." Jack scoffed, "You're right, he'd just tell us to fuck off."

Jack looked over at Nikki, "You're actually serious?"

"Does it look like I'm laughing away a joke?" Nikki retorted, and Jack gave a quick glare before turning away. "Remember that girlfriend Bobby had that he actually liked a lot. I think she's the one who broke his heart or some shit like that. Never actually said it, but you could tell."

Jack looked up in the air, and thought with furrowed eyebrows, "Abby?"

Nikki pointed at him, "Abby! That's right."

"You want to go out there in the big bad world and find Abby?" Jack asked, and Nikki stared at him.

"No," Nikki looked at him sternly. "At least now we know what kind of girl Bobby likes. I mean Bobby is-"

"Bobby is what?" Bobby asked, walking up the stairs.

"Bobby is the biggest asshole in the world," Nikki said, sitting up, as Bobby walked in.

"Damn straight," Bobby said, sitting next to Jack, and taking the guitar from his hands.

Jack looked at him, "You just gonna take that from her?"

Bobby nodded, "Can't deny something that's true."

Jack looked up at Nikki, who smiled, looking down, "What if I called you the biggest asshole in the world?"

"Then I'd beat the shit out of you," Bobby replied, nonchalantly.

"You want a girlfriend?" Nikki asked, lying back down in her old position, body on the bed, upper body propped up by elbows, her head in-between Jack and Bobby's.

Bobby gave her a weird look, "Sure."

"Can we find you one?" Nikki asked, hopeful.

"Hell fucking no," Bobby replied, looking down at the guitar. "You gonna teach me how to play this thing or not?" He asked Jack.

Jack looked at his guitar, "Last time I tried to teach you, you got mad because you weren't getting it, and broke four of my guitar strings."

"Eh," Bobby said, handing over the guitar to Jack. He stood up, and looked down at the two, "We're going to Jerry's for dinner and that family meeting; get ready."

The two nodded, and Bobby walked out, closing the door behind him.

"See, he said yes," Nikki said, walking into the closet.

"But he said 'hell fucking no'?" Jack asked, following her to look for clothes.

"Yeah, but he did say he wanted a girlfriend. Listen up, Mercer," Nikki said, looking through the closet, getting annoyed that her clothes and Jack's clothes were mixed up together. "Did I not tell you to hang up your clothes away from mine?"

"Shut up. Just stop talking," Jack said, and Nikki glared up at him. Jack gave a laugh, and kissed her forehead, "I love it when you're mad." With that, Nikki pushed Jack away, almost causing him to trip on his bag, and right on top of his favorite guitar.

Nikki shook her head, "Asshole."

"Nik-ki!" Jack yelled, looking down at his guitar, and gaining his balance.

Nikki stared at him oddly, "What the fuck are you yelling for?"

"I almost sat on my guitar," Jack said, and Nikki continued to stare. "What if I did? You would be dead."

Nikki gave a laugh, "Yeah, right."

"Nikki-"

"Shut up. Just stop talking," Nikki said, throwing a sweater at Jack, for him to wear.

Jack smiled to himself, "Oh, come on, I was just kidding."

"No, I just love it when you're mad," Nikki turned around, leaning on one hip.

"I was kidding about that, too!" Jack said, walking towards her.

"Well, it wasn't funny," Nikki said, looking up at him, as he looked down at her. Jack smirked, and leaned down towards her. Nikki scrunched her nose, and slapped Jack lightly. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and anger, and she smiled brightly. Tip toeing to quickly kiss him, Nikki mumbled, "Just kidding."

- - - - -

"Oh my God, could you complain any more?" Nikki yelled from across the car, glaring at Jack, above the car roof. "Seriously, be more of a girl and keep complaining about something so fucking stupid."

"Is it me, or did the fights get worse when they started going out officially?" Angel asked, and Bobby gripped the steering wheel in annoyance.

"I didn't think it was possible, but we were fucking wrong," Bobby mumbled, hearing the two yell from outside.

"Ay dios mio," Sofi muttered, putting her hand to her forehead, and closing her eyes, trying to fight off a headache. "Here, here, I go in first." Sofi pushed Jack aside, getting into the car. "Come on, you two!" Sofi yelled, and the two, still glaring at each other, simultaneously got into the car.

"You know what Nikki? You're the one who fucking starts this shit," Jack replied, knowing it was a total lie, but would get Nikki completely furious. But she didn't reply. He leaned forward to look at her, as she stared out the window, engulfed in a thought as she looked at the teenager standing, looking at them from across the street.

"Who is that?" Nikki asked, changing the subject, and the other four looked to their right.

Angel glared at the boy, "Who cares, let's just fucking go already."

The car stormed off, but Nikki moved in her position to look back at the kid, who watched them drive off, and then stared at the Mercer house. Nikki sat up straight, Jack's voice in the back of her mind as he yelled at her, and she looked down, fiddling with her thumbs, feeling her stomach start to churn with insecurity.


	2. Drive By Reunions

_**Disclaimer:**__ I own more than last time. Still don't own anything from Four Brothers, but I do own Nikki, and some new OC's. _

_**A/N:**__ Ah, it's nice to see people like the start of this story, and I love seeing reviewers from the last story. Hope you guys like this chapter, there are some new characters; tell me what you think about them. If they should stay or go, or any opinions on them would be nice. Not much to say except tell me what you think about it and if you like where the story is headed so far, please. There's a lot of JackNikki in this chapter, but I think you guys like that. More family time to come, though. _

_**Jackysgal:**__ hah, yeah even if these two were married, I think they'd still act the same in their best friend ways. Don't think they could ever be a conventional couple. Thanks for the review!_

_**rage-ember:**__ Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you're excited for it. I just hope it'll be as well received as I Wish It Would Rain._

- - - - - - - - -

Sofi and Angel stared across the table, their attention not on Jerry, who was reciting the plans and information that they came up with at the meeting for the day. Sofi's chin rested in the palm of her hand, as Angel cocked his head to the right. The two watching as Jack, whose arm was wrapped around Nikki, leaned down towards her, laughing at something Nikki said, as she smiled back in return. Kissing the tip of her nose, the two stopped and slowly turned their heads to look at the couple across the table from them.

Nikki looked around, then back at them, "What?"

"Weren't you two just fighting?" Angel asked, and Sofi nodded.

Nikki looked up at Jack, as if the two were asking the most absurd question possible. "Uh, you do realize that you guys are the champions of fight and fuck, right?"

"Hey," Jerry said, interrupting the four. "You guys listening?"

"We are, Jerry," Jack said, taking his arm off Nikki, the two of them leaning into their chairs.

"Jack, what did I just ask you?" Jerry asked, knowing Jack would have no idea.

"Uh," Jack looked around the table, for any hints of help. "You asked if we were listening."

"Before that," Jerry looked at Jack, as if he was stupid.

"Uh," Jack looked at Nikki, who shrugged. "I don't know."

"I asked you how you're getting to New York City with a car that can fit you and Nikki's shit," Jerry said, and Jack groaned, his head falling forward in defeat. "You don't have a big car, do you?" Jack shook his head, "Great."

Bobby shrugged, "Just 'borrow' a car." Bobby used air quotes as he said 'borrow.'

Fiddling with her thumbs, Nikki slowly looked up to have all pairs of eyes on her. Rolling her own eyes, she asked, "What car am I getting?"

Jack shrugged, "Just a shitty old van or something, nothing big."

Nikki nodded, "Eh, sure."

"So, everything's covered for today, right?" Jerry asked, and everyone shrugged. Shaking his head at the lack of interest, Jerry gathered all the papers, and stacked them into a pile. "Nick, you start teaching classes tomorrow?"

Nikki glanced up, and mumbled, "Yeah." She sighed, "Hip hop dancing kids, I come to serve."

"Come on, kiddos," Bobby stood up. "I'll go with you two to find a car. Just wait outside."

Nikki and Jack nodded, standing up, and making their way outside to the frigid December weather of Detroit.

- - - - - - - -

"Shiiit," Jack complained, his arms wrapped around himself, his held tilted down, and his eyes closed tightly. The two standing in the cold, waiting for Bobby. "Damn it!" He yelled, quickly unzipping Nikki's jacket, as she jumped a little in surprise.

"Jackie, what the fuck are you doing?" Nikki asked, as she felt the cold winter air go through the three layers she had on.

"It's fucking freezing," Jack muttered, wrapping his arms behind her back, under her jacket, keeping their bodies together. Nikki turned her head to the side, away from Jack's chest, that was suffocating her, leaving her no space to breathe. "Now zip it," Nikki looked up, feeling Jack shiver against her.

Nikki shook her head, and tried her best to wrap her arms around Jack, so she could zip up the jacket she borrowed from Bobby, around the two of them. "Fairy, you really need a real jacket," She muttered, zipping it up, realizing how ridiculous they must look.

Nikki looked up, and Jack stared down at her. Leaning down to kiss her forehead, Nikki replied by hugging him back, and rubbing his back to warm him up.

"What are you doing? Are you doing something bad?" A tiny voice asked from Jerry's porch. Turning their heads to face Amelia, the two smiled a little.

"Just getting warm," Jack replied, and Amelia stared. "Is Bobby coming out soon?"

"I go ask him," Amelia yelled, running inside, and slamming the door.

Smiling, Nikki looked up at Jack, who continued to stare down at her, with a look that begged for a kiss. She obliged, tip toed and pecked him quickly. He furrowed his eyebrows, lifting his hands enough to reach her face, leaning down to kiss her; the two conformed to the tiny spaces of the jacket, only meant for one person.

Hearing a car pass by, the two continued, on the sidewalk, in their freezing cold kiss, but pulled away from each other, hearing the car squeal back. Wrapping his arms around Nikki in confusion, and shielding her, Jack's forehead creased into a look that could kill, but was only meant for warning.

The two squinted, and leaned forward seeing a white boy with strawberry blonde spiked hair jump out of the driver's seat, and a Hispanic girl with bright blue eyes, and dark brown hair lean down to smile at them from the passenger seat.

"Holy shit," Nikki smiled.

"What the fuck, man!" The spikey haired boy yelled for the whole neighborhood to hear, with his arms spread across, standing there in the snow. "Jack Mercer and Nikki Owens!"

"Frankie!" Nikki yelled back, trying to walk towards him, but stopped because Jack still stood there, smiling back.

"You guys!" The girl jumped out of the car, "You fuckers are back in town!" She ran to Jack and Nikki as Frankie joined them in a group hug.

"Wait, wait," Nikki mumbled, struggling to unzip the jacket. "Ah, alright," Nikki said, pushing Jack away from her to leave him out in the cold. "Cali," Nikki smiled, wrapping her arms around Cali, who picked Nikki up in return.

"What are you guys doing back? We didn't hear that both of you were in town," Cali said, giving Jack a hug. "We just heard that Jack was back in town for Evelyn's funeral, which I am so sorry about, for both of you."

Nikki and Jack looked down, and he responded, "It's okay."

"You guys make out now?" Frankie blurted, and the three looked over at him. "You guys were like making out on the sidewalk. Is that a new fun best friend thing you guys do or are you together?"

"We're together, sometimes," Nikki replied, shrugging a little.

"Sometimes?" Jack asked, looking down at her.

"Yeah, when I have the patience to deal with you," Nikki looked up at him, and his eyes turned to slits.

"Ah, still the same Jack and Nikki though," Cali grinned at them.

Directing her attention to the figure moving in the back seat of the car, Nikki spotted a baby, whose big brown eyes stared back at her from the window. Walking towards the car, smiling at the baby, Nikki turned around looking at Frankie and Cali wondering whose baby it was.

"Cali, when did you have a baby?" Jack asked, walking towards the car.

Punching Jack as he passed by, Cali glared, "It's Frankie's Hannah, not mine. Just because I'm the girl, I had the baby, right?"

Nikki smiled at Cali, loving the way she defended herself against Jack, who shrugged in response.

"Frankie, you married now, or living with your baby's mom?" Nikki asked, and Frankie shook his head. "Oh," Nikki said, the tension bubbling around them.

"She left after Hannah was born," Frankie mumbled, smiling as if it was okay. "But it's all good, cause I got her."

Nikki gave a comfort smile, before opening the car door, removing the belt holding the baby in place in her car seat, and picked her up. Giving a laugh as Hannah smiled; Nikki whispered into her ear, "You don't need a real mama anyway."


	3. Thea

_Disclaimer: Don't anything except a few small OC's mentioned. Big ownage on Nikki, though. _

_A/N: Not much to say except thanks for the reviews, you guys. This chapter is pretty long, and pretty Nikki-fied, so hopefully you guys can hang in there. Not sure if I've ever had a problem in Nikki's life so in detail as this one, but I figure the girl has to show some vulnerability in a subject of her life. Anyway, love the reviews, keep em' coming because feedbacks and those reviews keep me going. Tell me what you think, please._

_rage-ember: Thanks for the review. Glad you like it so far, I'm always so sketchy about sequels because I try to make them just as good and liked as the first story, so thanks for the feedback. _

- - - - - - - - - -

"Those two are your friends from high school, right?" Angel asked, as the three brothers passed around boxes of Chinese food, and slapped the insides onto their plate acting as if they haven't eaten in days. "The girl's cute. Well, since you two only hung out with one girl anyway."

"Nikki couldn't fucking stand many other females," Bobby added, laughing a little.

Jack shot Angel a look of awkwardness, and nodded, "Yeah. Frankie and Cali. Me and Nikki are gonna hang out with them when I come back."

"You all set for tomorrow?" Bobby asked, peaking up at Jack.

Jack shrugged, "I guess? I'm just getting our stuff and fixing all that needs to be fixed. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Where is that girl anyway?" Bobby asked, and Jack shrugged again. "So much for you two being a couple. You don't even know what she's doing." Jack looked up at Bobby, as Bobby sat there, awaiting an answer. Jack shrugged once more after the pause, and Bobby clenched his jaw.

"Well, where's Sofi?" Jack asked, trying to make a point that couples didn't always have to know where the other one was.

"Upstairs, watching TV, because it's soap opera time," Angel said, quickly, not even looking up.

"See, fairy," Bobby pointed. "Now that is a couple. Fucking dysfunctional as they are, but still a real couple."

- - - - - - - -

Creaking up the stairs, with a plate full of Chinese food that Nikki favored, Jack walked slowly, and grabbed the door knob, hearing the sound of people talking from Nikki's laptop. Opening it, and peaking in, he saw her as she lay curled in fetal position, not taking her eyes off the movie. Closing the door behind him, he put the plate down, and sat behind her, putting his hand on her head.

"You all right?" He asked, his fingers traveling through her hair.

"Yeah, I'm good," Nikki responded, no emotion evident in her voice.

Leaning forward, Jack looked down at her, and waited for her to finally look up at him. "You know I hate it when you lie to me," He said, and she turned to lie down on her other side, facing up at him.

"I know," She said, and shrugged a little. "I'm not sure what's wrong exactly."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed, and she sat up, sitting against the wall. "So, something is wrong, but you're not sure what it is?" She nodded, "You're not sure what it is, or you're kinda sure what it is, and you just don't wanna admit that this thing is bothering you?"

Nikki thought, staring up at the ceiling, "Definitely the second one."

Jack sat against the wall, next to her, crossing his arms, just waiting for whatever she needed to say. Waiting for her to admit it to herself, before she could say it aloud to him.

"It's my mom," Nikki whispered after ten minutes of silence between them, other than the background music of the movie playing. "Especially after finding out that Hannah's mom bailed on her."

Jack looked at her, and shifted awkwardly. She never talked about her mom before. She didn't even think about her mom before. Jack figured that it would be all right, and didn't think that if the guys' were pressuring her to pick up dancing and singing again, that it would bring up questions that she had about her mom. She left that part of her life behind. Or so he thought. Now that she was thrust into the talents of her mother, the questions started to gnaw at her daily.

"Fuck Jackie. And I don't even know what I'm wondering about her. I don't know if I'm mad, or I'm sad about it. I don't know if I should be angry or just forget about it all, just like I used to. I have a fucking shit load of questions, but when I try to think about it or list them out in my head, I can't think of a damn one," Nikki mumbled, shaking her head, as if she was still trying to deny the words she was saying.

"Damn it," Nikki yelled, fists clenching. "I don't know. It's just," Nikki looked up at Jack, whose concerned eyes focused on her, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do. "I don't know. And I hate thinking about it." She sighed, "Because there's nothing I can do anyway."

Putting his arm around her, and pulling her towards his side, he sighed as well, "I don't know what-"

"I know," She replied knowing he didn't have a clue on what to say about this subject, seeing they never talked about it before, and Jack had never felt the need to find out about his parents. "It's okay."

Kissing the top of her head, and leaning his chin on her head afterwards, Jack blinked at the laptop screen, seeing how the characters would interact and fight, but the sound of it blurred out. "We're not gonna see each other for three days," He said, and eyes got wide. "I don't think we've done that before. Even when you ignore me, or we fight, we at least see each other." He paused, "You know, me getting you to try and talk to me from the window or something."

Nikki laughed, "We're not that pathetic that we won't last three days without seeing each other. We can try that thing where people talk on the phone instead of constantly being by each other, which is pretty damn sad if you think about it."

"Yeah, I guess," Jack said, taking his head off of hers, and leaning against the wall again. "Unless something bad happens. Then I'd need you there."

"You think something bad will happen when you leave? To you or to me?" Nikki asked, and Jack stared at her, eyebrow slightly raised. "To both of us, eh?" He nodded, "It is expected." She sighed, the two sitting there, looking forward.

"You know what I completely forget sometimes?" Jack asked, and Nikki looked over at him.

"What?"

He chuckled a little, "That we go out. Other than those times when we actually do couple stuff, but most of the time it's just normal stuff we do. Bobby made me realize that."

Nikki shrugged a little, and faced the wall in front of them, again, "Fuck conventional couples."

- - - - - -

"You did a great job today, Nikki," Jaymi, head dance instructor, said, throwing Nikki a bottle of water.

Nikki smiled, regaining her breath, and catching the bottle with one hand, "Thanks. They're pretty cool, the kids." Nikki shrugged, "Sometimes when teaching kids, I wanna rip my head off."

Jaymi laughed, "No, they're cool. Nicely whipped into behavioral shape before you came."

"Owens?" Nikki heard the voice, and slowly turned around. She'd never been called Owens in her life; it was always Mercer, never Owens. "Thea?" She spoke again, confusing Nikki beyond belief. Thea. Why would she call her Thea?

"What?" Nikki asked, unable to say anything else.

"Oh, you're not Thea," She said, coming closer towards Nikki. "God, you look just like her. You're her daughter, aren't you?"

"Daughter," Nikki repeated, as she lady smiled.

"I'm your mom's friend, Sara. She was my best friend a while back. You're her daughter, right? What's your name?" She held out a hand, and Nikki slowly shook it.

"Nikki," She answered, trying to gain her composure. "I'm Nikki."

"You look just like your mom, anyone tell you that? I'm sure you hear that all the time," She said, still smiling. She was obviously out of the loop with the whole 'mom fleeing as fast as her first daughter was born' thing.

"Uh, no, never heard that actually," Nikki said, looking down, only glancing up at his lady bringing all the emotions Nikki had about her mom to the surface.

"Well, you really do. The two of you are just so pretty. But we've gotta go," She said, holding her daughter's hand. "Tell your mom I said hi."

Nikki nodded, and tried to smile politely as Sara turned around, waving, opening the door letting the cold air slap Nikki in the face, as Nikki simply blinked feeling more vulnerable and emotionally stripped down than she ever did before.


	4. Donnellys' and Mercers'

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Nikki. I don't even own The Black Donnellys'._

_A/N: So there's going to be a lot of referencing to this awesome show called The Black Donnellys'. I absolutely hate that this show got cancelled, I think it's because NBC dislikes too much violent shit, or is just stupid for cancelling this. I think Four Brothers fans would love Black Donnellys, because it's like watching Four Brothers and The Departed for an hour. I really really hope it comes back. If you guys watch it, isn't it freakin' awesome? All right, done with the Donnelly publicity. It's not full brothers and Nikki time, because Jack isn't in it, but there is some of that Bobby Nikki time. I hope you guys like it, and please, keep the reviews coming. It helps me keep going with this story, and your feedback really helps with what you guys like or don't. _

- - - - - - - -

"Oh, is that all you got little brother?" Jerry yelled, as he and Angel did yet another brotherly wrestle brawl in the middle of the family room wooden floor.

Pushing Jerry off him, Angel pushed Jerry to the floor, who merely laughed, as Bobby yelled, "Aw come on, Jerry! You gonna let him do that?"

Turning to look up at who walked in, Bobby smiled at Nikki, who instantly walked up the stairs without a 'hi.' Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Bobby stood up, walking up the stairs, and straight into Jack's room. He opened the door to see Nikki lying down in a ball, and watching the laptop. Pressing play, without even looking at him, the audio streamed throughout the room.

Sitting down on the bed next to her, Bobby watched the show as the father of Jenny Reilly told his daughter, "_Look Jenny, listen to me, please. I know you like Tommy, and I don't think he's a bad kid. It's just that, it's like something is in their blood, and no matter how hard they try to do good, that blood is always gonna seep through. And it poisons whatever it touches._"

"Holy shit," Bobby muttered.

"I know," Nikki answered.

"It's like their fucking talking about us," Bobby said, pointing at the laptop screen. "What the hell we watchin'?"

"It's called The Black Donnellys'," Nikki said, still not looking away from the screen. "It's good shit."

Bobby nodded, staring at the screen as they talked about hiding a dead body, with his mouth slightly open, engulfed in the drama.

Shaking his head to remember what he came upstairs to ask her, Bobby looked down at Nikki, trying his best to pay attention to her instead of one of the guy saying they should stuff someone in a tub of acid. "You okay? What happened at work?"

Nikki shrugged, "I taught kids a hip hop dance. Do you wanna learn or somethin'?"

"Do I wanna learn or somethin'," Bobby rolled his eyes. "Seriously, something happened today. Do not lie to me, Nick."

Nikki blinked, biting her bottom lip nervously. Giving a small sigh, Bobby watched as Nikki's quivering bottom lip forcedly stopped. "Some lady came in today to pick up her kid. She called me Owens, and then Thea. She said I look just like her." Staring at her, without anything to say, Bobby just nodded. "She told me to tell my mom 'hi'."

"She's fuckin' stupid," Bobby muttered.

"Nope," Nikki shook her head. "She just doesn't know." Nikki gulped, as well as Bobby, the two in the awkward silence. Bobby wasn't very good with expressing his feelings in words. Jack was the most expressive in the family, being the fairy and all, but even he had trouble on saying the right thing. "I'm fine, Bobby. It was just…" Nikki looked up at Bobby, "The only time that happened to me. I've never been called Owens before. It kinda made me realize that I'm not really a Mercer."

"Nikki, what the hell you talkin' about?" Bobby put his hand on her shoulder, "You are a Mercer."

"I guess," Nikki mumbled. "But my last name is still Owens."

Bobby thought, "Get married to Jackie."

Turning to face Bobby, with furrowed eyebrows, Nikki stared at Bobby, with her eyes wide.

Laughing in reply, Bobby put his hand over Nikki's face, slightly pushing her away, "I was just kidding. Nice to know you guys have no intention of getting married, though. Yet."

"Yeah, yeah," Nikki said, shaking her head. "That wasn't funny, Bobby."

"Yeah it was, but seriously," He said, putting a hand on top of her head. "You've always been a Mercer, and all you've been worrying about your mom, just forget it, Nikki. She lost you, you didn't lose a thing. You had us and Ma. It's her loss."

Nikki nodded, "Thanks, Bobby."

Giving a nod, and directing his attention back to two of the brothers, Bobby tilted his head, "Wait, who are those guys?"

'The Donnellys'," Nikki replied, as if he was stupid. "That's Tommy Donnelly and Kevin Donnelly. The shows about, well a lot, but Irish-Italian organized crime."

"How many brothers?" Bobby asked, and Nikki smiled.

"Four," Nikki said.

"Oh, shit," Bobby gave a small chuckle.

"Yep," Nikki said, and heard Bobby gasp a little as Tommy Donnelly's fist flew violently into a face.

"Oh, shit!" Bobby yelled, and Nikki smirked knowing that it had Bobby much more interested now. "Poor Irish. I mean, the Irish aren't the only ones who do that. Ya know, get drunk and punch people."

"They aren't," Nikki agreed. "I'm Irish, though."

"I'm a little Irish," Bobby said. "So is Jackie." Nikki nodded, "Well, we know Angel and Jerry aren't even a little Irish, so it's not only the Irish."

- - - - - -

"Hey Nick, how was work?" Jerry asked, lying down on the couch, as Nikki sat at the end of it.

"Bobby, what are you doin'! We were watchin' that!" Angel yelled, with Sofi sitting beside him in the single chair, the two squishing for some room.

"Uh, it was okay," Nikki mumbled. "Gotta do what we gotta do to get some income, right?"

Jerry smiled at her, and squeezed her knee, making her jump from being tickled, "Yeah, gotta get the money."

"Bobby, what are we watchin'?" Angel asked, as Bobby hooked up the laptop to the TV.

"We're watchin' our fucking lives. Check this out. It's like us in Irish bodies, running some organized crime shit," Bobby said, excited, and sitting on the couch as Jerry sat up quickly so Bobby wouldn't sit on his face.

"You talk to your boyfriend yet?" Jerry asked Nikki, putting an arm around her so she was in noogie position.

"Nope, not yet," Nikki said, trying to squeeze her way out of the head lock. "I'll call him when we're done. I'm sure he's fine."

"Seriously, you guys are not a couple," Bobby mumbled, groaning because he had to get up and press the link to play the Pilot episode.

Pushing Jerry away, once she escaped his grasp, Nikki turned her head a little to see the same kid walking by the house, intently looking at them. "Bobby, get that kid."

"What?" Bobby asked, not paying much attention to her.

"Bobby!" Nikki jumped off the couch, seeing the kid start to run, grabbing Bobby by the collar of his shirt, pulling him off the couch to the door. "That kid is watching us, Bobby. He is. It's freaking the shit out of me. I don't have a good feeling about him."

"What do you want me to do about it? He's already down the street," Bobby said, squinting. "Shit, he runs fast as hell."

Nikki groaned, "Because you're slow ass wouldn't get up from the couch." Walking back into the living room, Bobby muttered in annoyance, as Nikki stared down the empty street, sighing.


	5. Missing Jack and a Parental Figure

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Nikki, and a new character at the end. _

_A/N: A writer's block is a bitch. So is being so busy to the point I can't read or write. Sorry about that, you guys. Anyway, I'll keep this author's note short. Thanks for the reviews you guys, they'll definitely help in keeping me updating, and your feedback is really important to me and to how the story goes, so please, keep the feedback and reviews coming. You get to find who that freaky kid is. How exciting. _

- - - - - - - - -

Walking down the stairs, Bobby raised an eyebrow seeing Nikki kneeling on the couch, staring out the window. Standing behind her, as she focused on whatever she was looking at outside, he asked, making her jump abruptly, "What the hell you looking at?" Bobby laughed at her reaction, as she threw a fist at his stomach, and he used his arm to guard himself.

"I'm waiting for that kid to come by," Nikki muttered. "I swear we know him from somewhere," Nikki said to herself, not loud enough for Bobby to hear.

"Yeah, because he's really going to be stalking us while you're staring out the window like that," Bobby said. Pushing her head down, he advised, "Don't do that. It makes me uncomfortable. Someone might actually be watching us, and you're a dead target."

Sighing in defeat, Nikki lied down, "Fine. But I keep thinking about it." Bobby sat next to her, and she moved up to a sitting position, "Wanna know a secret?"

Bobby shrugged, "Sure."

"I miss Jack," Nikki said, slightly embarrassed.

"As a boyfriend or as a best friend?" Bobby asked, curious.

Nikki thought, "As a Jack. Both, I guess."

"Missing your boyfriend," Bobby nodded. "Now that is normal boyfriend girlfriend behavior." Nikki smiled, "Well, if you miss him, he's probably going crazy right now. Where is he anyway?"

Nikki stared at Bobby, "I don't know. Do you know?" Closing his eyes, Bobby leaned back, trying not to get annoyed at the two. It was getting easier over time.

- - - - - - - -

"So you and Nick go out?" Larry, the drummer of Jack's former, and now dropped band, asked.

Jack smirked, nodding, picking at the table, "Yeah. We do."

"Nice," Larry nodded. "She's hot."

Jack gave a laugh, "Yeah. Did you see it coming too?"

"Mercer, a blind person could actually see that coming," Larry said, and Jack smiled. "It was blatantly obvious," Jack looked at Larry, wondering how a guy who was high all the time could use the word blatantly in a sentence while he was constantly burnt. Larry looked at Jack, who looked down, clenching his jaw, "You miss her?"

"Definitely."

"You always were a pussy with her. Such the girl in the relationship between you guys," Larry said, and Jack laughed, pushing Larry, almost off his chair. "Wait, so do you have a band out in Detroit?"

Jack stared at him, as Larry looked genuine, like his question wasn't utterly stupid, "I'm like the only person who listens to rock in my whole neighborhood, other than Nikki."

Larry nodded, and gave Jack a weird look, "That's so weird. It's a shame." Jack's eyes got wide. Larry obviously didn't know where he came from. "Man, you're giving up the music," Larry said, shaking his head. "That's gotta suck. You're just gonna not be playing gigs and ripping your shirt off as girls yell."

Jack peered up at Larry. He hadn't thought of that. Going to New York City to pursue his music career was his dream. He was the Mercer, who followed and achieved their dream, and he was just giving it up, to go back to his old life. He hadn't thought of the consequences of going back to the life he tried to forget, and left so fast to get away from. He was only worried around Nikki's past biting her in the ass with the dancing, but he didn't give a second to think about what he was giving up.

"You probably shouldn't be ripping your shirt off, though," Larry mumbled, and Jack tried to give in to the humor, and give a little laugh. But he was unsuccessful, giving off a fake laugh that made Larry give him a look. "Well Mercer, you're leaving tomorrow," Larry stood up. "So I think this gives us the right to get completely," Larry closed his eyes, and gave a nod, "Fucked up."

Slamming his fist into the table, Jack stood up, and gave a nod. He needed this, "Let's fuckin' do it." Grabbing his jacket, Jack followed Larry out, turning the light off the dirty, New York City apartment.

- - - - - - - - -

Taking her eyes away from the TV, Nikki looked towards the stairs, smiling a little as Angel kissed Sofi, and she giggled in reply. Angel smiled at her before walking into the kitchen, as Sofi walked happily down the stairs, towards Nikki, and sat on the couch.

"You gonna be all right?" Nikki asked, and Sofi looked over at her.

"Hm?" Sofi asked, lost in love.

Nikki gave a laugh, "Never mind, Sofi."

Sofi put a hand on Nikki's knee, "You miss Jack?"

Nikki nodded, "Yeah, I guess, but the fairy will be back tomorrow."

Tilting her head to the right a little, taking the remote from Nikki's hand and turning it off, Sofi sat a little closer to Nikki, and Nikki reluctantly looked up at her. Almost whispering, Sofi tried to make Nikki feel like the conversation would only be between them, "Nikki, you've been so sad these past few days since Jack left. But I don't think its Jack that bothering you. Are you okay?"

Nikki blinked, and for a quick second her eyes watered up. Sofi's eyes softened seeing this, and it made Nikki blink the vulnerability away. Sighing, Sofi looked down realizing for the first time what a sad life the Mercers' led.

"Did you have parents?" Nikki whispered, as if she was ashamed of even asking.

Looking up at her, Sofi nodded, with a tiny smile with just a thought of her parents.

"Yes, I did," Sofi sat up a little.

Nikki stared, eyes wide, making her look like a little kid again, "How was that? Did you live with both your parents? Did you like your mom?"

Sofi nodded, "It was good. I mean, there are problems that every kid deals with when it comes to parents." Sofi looked away, clearing her throat, realizing that Nikki didn't know what teenagers went through in a normal and stable home. "I lived with both of my parents, and I was close to my mom."

Nikki took a deep breath, "Is it great to have a mom? Well, a good one." Sofi stared at her, "Honestly."

Feeling her heart break a little, Sofi nodded, wishing she wouldn't be giving Nikki the answer that said, "Yeah. It's pretty good."

Keeping her glance down at the floor, nodding slightly, and slowly sitting forward, as she faced the TV, Nikki took the remote, turning the TV on, and whispered, "Yeah, I guessed it would be."

Focusing her attention on Nikki, Sofi realized it was the first time she ever saw Nikki look so weak. Then she watched as Nikki's face completely changed to realization, as she looked at Sofi, jaw slightly dropped. "Nikki, what's wrong?" Sofi asked, and Nikki gulped.

"Me and Jack used to go to school with him," Nikki gave a laugh. "Bobby and Angel used to play hockey with him. Jerry used to look out for him."

"Who?" Sofi asked, completely confused.

"The kid," Nikki stood to look out the window. "The kid that's always stalking us," She looked down at Sofi, "Victor's nephew. He's Robert Sweet."

- - - - - - -

_rage-ember : Ah, yeah, the last one was pretty short, but this one is too. But this chapter definitely had more going on, and more issues to reveal. Hope you liked it, and thanks for the review._


	6. Blinded By Relation

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Nikki, Frankie, and Cali. _

_A/N: A quick update, yes it is. I'm really hoping you guys like the chapter. The chapter has quite a bit of angst in it, but it also a new romantic spark which is always fun. Anyway, you're feedback on what you like, or dislike is really helpful to where the stories go, so leave the feedback/reviews, please._

_Have you ever watched The Italian Job? Well, if you have, there's a description of a younger Bobby. Yeah, picture that awfully hot Marky Mark when you read the description. If any readers haven't watched it yet, I suggest you guys do, it's great, and as I said, Marky Mark is awfully hot in it. _

- - - - - - - - - -

"Angel," Sofi said, as Angel scattered kisses along her neck. Fighting back the urge to straddle him and kiss him back, Sofi refused to let her eyes close, as she repeated, "Seriously, Angel."

Confused, Angel pulled away from kissing her, and stared, "What's wrong?"

Sofi sat up, pulling Angel's hands away from her, so the temptation wouldn't be there, "I think something is wrong with Nikki."

Angel stared at her, "What do you mean?"

Sofi looked down, trying to find the words to describe it. "I don't know. But it's not that she misses Jack. Something is really wrong. I have no idea what it is, Angel. But it's really hurting her." Sofi looked up at Angel's concerned eyes, different from the intimidating stare he always held, "She was asking me about my parents today; especially about my mom. It has to do something with that, right?"

Angel shook his head, thinking, "No, she's never even thought about her mom before. She hates her mom, almost as much as she hates her dad."

Sofi leaned forward, making them catch eye contact, "Maybe that's the problem, Angel."

Sighing, Angel looked down, thinking what could have sparked Nikki's thoughts about her mom. He automatically pointed at the dancing classes Nikki was forced to take up on to save the family from debt. But all the worry thoughts faded away when the CD playing 'Drama, Love, and Relationships' by Babyface could be heard. Nikki and Jack deemed it to be Angel and Sofi's song, since it fit so perfectly with how the mix of dysfunctional and in love they were.

"Sofi, baby, it's our song," Angel grinned, leaning forward above her.

"Angel!" Sofi yelled, ruining their moment, and Angel glared in reply to him being denied. "We have to worry about Nikki and all you're thinking about is having sex!"

Angel rolled his eyes, knowing that Sofi couldn't have yelled it any louder, since all the neighbors, and Nikki probably heard her. "Okay," Angel muttered, opening his door, and walking to Nikki's room. With Sofi right behind him, he turned the door knob to be denied again, seeing that it was locked.

"Nikki," Angel said, fairly low. "Nick," He said a little louder, but with no reply. Angel shrugged, and turned back to Sofi, "Maybe Jack is home, and at least someone in this house is having sex."

Huffing, and rolling her eyes, Sofi slightly nudged Angel with her shoulder, and trotted down the stairs.

- - - - - -

Jumping slightly from the sound of a jiggling door knob, Nikki turned her head to watch intently at the door, thanking God that she had locked it. Staring at the door as Angel called her name, Nikki let out a sigh of relief hearing him say something about sex then Sofi creak down the stairs.

She heard what Sofi had said, which made her curse herself for showing anyone in the house an emotion that was caused by her mother. She didn't care for her mother. She didn't think about her mother. She hated her mother. Almost as much she hated her jail living dad.

But in an instant, when the one woman told her that she looked like her mother, Nikki became interested. She wanted to know if her mom cared at all about her, they could maybe be those damned _Gilmore Girls_ on TV. The ones that are almost sisters and each others best friend. She just wanted to know for one instant how that would feel like. But she knew it was impossible; even more so that Evelyn was gone. Even when Evelyn was there, Nikki knew she wasn't officially adopted. She knew that Evelyn loved her, but she wasn't deemed with the Mercer name.

Her eyes became wide, as an unexpected short, quiet, and small sob erupted from Nikki's mouth. She instantly put a hand over it. It was as if she tried to close her mouth and forget that it ever happened. Quickly, she brushed a hand past her eyes to wipe it; she closed her eyes tightly, wishing that her eyes never watered up in the first place. She wished that this didn't affect her. She wished that having a mother didn't suddenly become an issue in her life. She wished that it wasn't the one thing in the world she couldn't fight. She wished that it wasn't the only thing in life that made her really feel like she was falling apart and couldn't pull herself up to put on a strong front. But all those wishes were destroyed when one tear streaked down Nikki's face, followed quickly by others.

Sitting up straight, and quickly wiping her face with both hands, Nikki stood up hearing the door bell, expecting Frankie and Cali, or maybe even Jack at the door. But no one could know about this. No one could know that she cared about her so called mother. Maybe not even Jack.

- - - - - - - - -

Frankie clapped his hands together, and clasped them into a fist, and pointed his index fingers at Cali. "You excited?" Cali gave him a weird look in return. "Okay then, are ya nervous?" Frankie said, with a smirk, and his eyebrows rose suggestively.

"Frankie, please tell, how would I be nervous?" Cali gave him a look, crossed her arms, and gave a nod, "Please, educate me."

"Because of your big ass crush on Bobby Mercer," Frankie said, and Cali's mug smile quickly fell, as she threw a fist at his arm, forcefully.

"Don't say it out loud, asshole!" Cali yelled, in a whisper, "He could hear you." Frankie laughed as he rubbed his arm, feeling like the remark was worth the pain, seeing how Cali freaked. "God, I did not even think about that." Frankie stopped laughing and stared at her, "Okay, it was all I was thinking about. But still-"

Cali zipped her mouth shot, as the two looked at the door, which opened quickly to Bobby standing there.

"Hey, I know you guys," Bobby stared at them, inspecting their faces. "You," Bobby pointed at Frankie, who smiled, "are Jack's boyfriend." Quickly, Frankie's smile went away, and appeared on Cali's face. "And you," He said, and Cali gulped feeling her throat go dry. "Nikki's friend," He smiled as he said this, and moved over to let them in.

Walking away, and not even waiting for them to come in first, Bobby made his way to the living room. Whispering in Cali's ear, Frankie muttered, "Well, now he's ugly so you don't have any crushes to worry about."

Cali smiled to herself, "God, he's hot." Furrowing his eyebrows, and staring at her, Frankie shook his head, not understanding females at all.

- - - - - - -

Hitting the steering wheel as quickly as he stopped the car, Jack groaned, hoping that the one hit of frustration could magically make the feeling of him losing his dream go away. But of course, as expected the experiment was unsuccessful. He didn't want to feel like his dream was being taken away, because he knew it would make him take for granted the second chance his family was taking. He didn't want to make it seem like he didn't want them all to be together because he did.

But it was his passion. It would be back to playing Nikki songs to sleep, and playing songs that he wrote to Nikki, who would, in some asshole way, tell him she liked it. But it was different with the screams, with the people in the music, feeling how they felt it. It was different when he saw Nikki standing in the crowd, feeling the music, and smiling up at him, thinking that he wasn't looking back at her. It was that feeling that he wanted.

Looking up the house, Jack sighed. He also wanted his family together. No matter how hard he wished, he could feel it pulling at his heart that he wished the dream would follow him to his old life. But he knew wishes were usually stupid to make. Nikki taught him that. Grabbing his guitar, and walking across the street, Jack sighed before ringing the doorbell.

- - - - -

Holding onto the railing on the stairwell, Nikki sighed, closing her eyes, hearing Cali, Frankie, and Bobby talking downstairs. Gathering her strength and her thoughts, her eyes shot wide open hearing the door bell ring.

"Got it," Nikki said, walking down the stairs. Giving a tiny smile, Nikki raised her hand, "Hey guys." Furrowing her eyebrows, Nikki wondered why seeing Jack wasn't giving her as many butterflies or that she didn't feel the need to jump on him despite what Bobby was gonna say. Opening the door, Nikki smiled, feeling the needs that she was just lacking, but still feeling a worry that she wished would just go away in the back of her mind.

Wrapping her arms over Jack's shoulders, as he carried her up, with his arms wrapped around her waist, she whispered quietly in his ear, "Hey, boyfriend."

Jack smirked. "That's kinda hot," He said, putting her down. "Did you miss me?"

Nikki nodded, "Surprisingly, yes. Did you miss me?"

"You're such a bitch just asking me that," Jack said, walking in, putting his guitar down. "Just because you knew I missed you more does not give you the right to rub it in my face, okay?" He looked down at her, and she shrugged.

"Man, I was just asking. No need to confess your undying love for me," Nikki said, completely serious.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack said, leaning down to kiss her, smirking as they pulled away. He looked towards the living room, hearing more than just Bobby's voice, "Who's here?"

Jack kicked his shoes off, and Nikki answered, "Frankie and Cali."

She and Jack smiled simultaneously, "You think Cali still crushes on Bobby?" The two walked to the doorway of the living room watching as Bobby and Cali engaged in conversation. Cali giggled, and Bobby smiled. It made him feel funny that someone laughed at his jokes and sarcasm.

"I never understood that crush," Jack mumbled, the two walking into the living room, sitting on the floor next to each other, adjacent to Frankie.

"I'd never understand why anyone would like Bobby," Nikki mumbled back, scrunching her nose, remembering the first time she heard Cali actually say Bobby was hot, confusing her beyond belief.

"_Hey," Nikki and Cali turned to their right, to see Bobby and Angel in a car, tires barely rolling as Bobby yelled out to them. "You need a ride?" _

_Nikki gave him her classic, 'are you fucking crazy?' look, "Of course I'd want a ride when the house is about three houses down."_

_Bobby shook his head, "I was trying to be nice." He said, driving away with his middle finger raised in the air, as Nikki raised hers right back. _

"_God, Bobby is hot," Cali said, in a breathy voice. Shooting Cali the same crazy look she gave Bobby, Nikki looked over at her and Cali looked up. "I know you don't think those Mercer brothers are attractive or hot at all, but they are Nikki. You're just blinded by relation."_

_With all jokes, and weirdness aside, Nikki thought about Bobby's looks. His short brown hair sticking up in spikes with nothing but water to style it. The dimples that were hidden in his, barely there grin. Scrunching her nose, Nikki shook her head, "Nope. They're still all ugly to me."_

"_Except Jack, of course," Cali said, with a smile. _

"_What?" Nikki asked, knowing well what she heard, but just didn't quite understand what the joke was meant for. _

"_Nothing, nothing at all," Cali said, the two walking into the Mercer house. _

"_You're an asshole," Bobby said, passing by Nikki, as he went up the stairs. Smiling at how she annoyed Bobby, Nikki walked into the living room to hop onto the couch with Jack as Frankie and Cali sat on the floor, books and papers surrounded by the two of them, as Jack and Nikki stared as the cousins studied. Frankie studying for a high school class, and Cali, studying for two of her college classes at the same time. Something obviously foreign to all the Mercers'. Seeing that none of them actually graduated from high school, and they decided to drop out. _

"_Studying," Nikki mumbled. "Crazy, isn't it?"_

_Jack nodded along, as Bobby practically ran down the stairs, and full force plopped down on Nikki as she yelled profanities. "What are they doing?" He asked Jack, his ass still crushing Nikki into the couch for being mean to him in his attempt at kindness. _

"_Homework, or studying," Jack replied, still looking at the two on the floor. "Foreign," He said, and Bobby nodded. Jack raised an eyebrow as Cali's mere glances became a full on stare. She looked up at her subject, as Bobby smirked back. Looking down at the couch, Jack looked at Nikki, who was confused about the same thing. What the hell just happened?_


	7. Bobby's Sex Issue

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything besides Nikki, Cali, Frankie, Hannah, & Robert Sweet._

_A/N: Hello. One of Spikey's friends here. How do you do? Anyway, I don't mean to come off as rude, but honestly… Why are you people not reviewing? We can see that you're reading, you know. It really doesn't take much effort to move the mouse to the bottom right corner to leave a review. It doesn't even need to be a long one! A simple "Great chapter. Update soon, please" would suffice. Besides, I think you'd agree that Marie deserves at __**least **__that, right? I'm sorry about the nagging, but Marie is starting to become a tad distressed and is even starting to believe that her writing is worsening. All right, onto the chapter then. Happy reading! –Leah_

_Marie/Spikey's A/N: So, Leah actually gets more frustrated with the lack of reviews that the story has been getting, but also, I just wanted to give you guys a heads up on the italics part. There's a part in the story where it's Jack and Nikki, uh, __**interacting**__, and the italics is Cali and Bobby talking as this is going on. Just tell me if you guys get confused, and I'll try to work out the kinks. Hope you guys like it. _

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Uh," Nikki said, as she and Jack stood up. "We're gonna go talk upstairs." She said, and Jack nodded. "We, uh, have been best friend deprived for the past few days," Nikki muttered, walking quickly past Bobby and Cali sitting on the couch.

They scurried up the stairs, as Jack gave one big loud laugh, followed by Nikki telling him to shut up as they disappeared. Confused, and completely oblivious, Bobby raised an eyebrow looking at the stairs.

"Why the fuck are those kids laughing like that?" Bobby asked, chewing loudly on his gum as he flipped through the channels. He looked over at Cali, as she laughed slightly to herself, and Bobby raised his eyebrow higher. "What's so funny?"

Cali looked over at him, laughing harder at his expression realizing he really had no clue. "You do know that they're going upstairs to fuck, right?" She said, and Bobby's face crumbled in. Suddenly, the idea of Jack and Nikki disgusted him.

He knew that the two were most likely having sex, but he suddenly realized how he thought of Nikki as a little sister, and if this was another guy, he would beat the shit out of the guy Nikki was with. He wanted them to act like a couple, so they wouldn't act like friends with benefits. He wanted them to be together but without the sexual interaction. It seemed impossible, but with Bobby Mercer, interrupting could easily be done. And he would do it with a big grin.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Oop," Nikki yelped, the two giving a laugh, still holding onto Jack's face in her hands, as Jack still wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing their hips together. She stepped over the bag she tripped on, and pushed it away with her foot. Smiling, Jack took her face, and kissed her hard. Smiling back against his lips, Nikki wrapped her arms around his head, pulling him down to make it easier for her.

"_Bobby?" Cali asked, raising an eyebrow staring at Bobby as his face contorted into many emotions at one moment. "Bobby?" He blinked. "Are you all right?"_

Trailing kisses from her mouth to her neck, Nikki's hands scrunched at the back of Jack's shirt, lifting it up. Smirking, Jack pulled away long enough for her to pull it off, and kissed her again, softly. Slowly, Jack's hands made their way to the back of Nikki's shirt, his fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. Waiting to see Nikki would slap his hands away first, Jack held onto the hem, and pulled it over her head as they pulled away for a quick second. Trying as smoothly as possible, Jack's hands traveled up Nikki's back, slowly making his way to her bra. Holding on the clasp, Jack quickly let go as Nikki grabbed onto his side, and pulled his skin.

"_They can't be having sex," Bobby muttered. He shook his head, and Cali looked around, not sure what to do with Bobby's semi breakdown. "They're not allowed to."_

"_Right. They're not allowed to," Cali laughed, and Bobby stared at her. "Okay, that wasn't a joke. What you gonna do, Bobby? You gonna call Jack's name until he comes down here all hot and bothered?"_

_Bobby smirked, and Cali's face fell as she shook her head. _

The two gave a laugh, continuing the kiss that started soft, deepening, and turned into the hair-pulling kisses that started their soon to be cut off make out session. Walking, holding Nikki, as she rested on his (his what?) around his waist, Jack made towards his bed, where he put her down, and his body followed, their kiss not breaking for a second.

"Jack!" Jack heard at the back of his mind, but ignored it. Taking control of their kiss, Jack struggled to keep focus as their tongues battled for control. "Jack!" The person yelled again, now louder. Jack's index fingers looped into Nikki's belt loops and kissed her harder, trying to keep both of them concentrated on each other, trying to ignore Bobby's voice from down the stairs. "JACK!" Bobby yelled once more, now clearer, now louder, now more annoyed.

Both turned away from the kiss, Nikki looked to the right, sighing, with her eyes closed. Jack groaned, his face buried to the left of Nikki's neck.

Jack slammed a fist against the bed, yelling, "Fuck!"

Nikki moved her head, so her cheeks touched Jack's hair, "Yeah, that was the plan, wasn't it?"

Jack groaned once more, and got up, walking to the door in a huff, leaving Nikki there to roll her eyes and shake her head.

He opened the door quickly, and yelled, "What?!"

"Come down here!" Bobby yelled, and Jack clenched his fists, cracking his neck to calm down.

"You are horrible," Cali laughed, as Bobby laughed silently going back to the couch.

Walking down a few stairs, Jack stared at Bobby from one of the steps, raising his eyebrows.

"What, Bobby?" He asked, and Bobby looked over at him.

"Where's your shirt?" Bobby asked, wearing a stern look that made Jack nervous.

"Uh, it's in my room," Jack pointed.

"Why isn't it on you?" Bobby asked him again.

Jack shrugged, "What, Bobby?"

"Nikki's Sidney Crosby is playing tonight, I just wanted to tell her that the game is on," Bobby said, looking back at the TV, a small smile on his face, knowing well what he did. He did it with pleasure.

Jack glared at Bobby, and ran back up the stairs. "Hey, wait, wait," Jack said, walking into his room, closing the door behind him, as Nikki pulled her shirt over her head. "No, no" Jack said, jumping onto the bed, pulling her shirt off her, as she quickly punched him in the arm, and crawling to kiss her neck. She looked at him, "Come on, we can continue now."

"What did Bobby say?"

"Is that really what you wanna say before we have sex?" Jack asked, and Nikki waited for an answer. "No, if I tell you, you're gonna go." Jack groaned, "Pittsburg Penguins are playing the Red Wings. It's an obvious win, so don't even go down there. Crosby will just be crushed, no need to see that." Nikki tried to hide her excitement, and Jack rolled on to his back, next to Nikki, "But Nikki." He whined; as Nikki leaned down to kiss his neck, making him moan.

"Come on," Nikki said, jumping up in excitement, and slapped his stomach. She pulled her shirt on, and threw Jack's shirt at him, as it landed on his face, and he lay still. "Maybe later we can," She shrugged, and walked away.

Jack sat up, leaning back on his arms, as he pouted, before grabbing his shirt and pulling it over.

- - - - - - -

Running down the stairs, Nikki plopped onto the recliner, and sat on top of her legs.

"How was the sex?" Cali asked, grinning.

Nikki glared over at her and Bobby, "Non-existent. Where's Frankie?"

"Had to go home to Hannah," Cali said, as she looked over at Bobby, and they shared 'the look.'

Furrowing her eyebrows, as Nikki stared at them, stare at each other, "How was the sex?"

Cali dropped her jaw, and Bobby's eyes were wide, as they snapped their heads towards Nikki, who began laughing hysterically. "What?" They asked, loudly, and simultaneously.

"Calm down," Nikki said, slowly coming out of her hysterics. "I was kidding. Freaks."

"By the way, your shirt is on inside out," Cali pointed, as Nikki mumbled 'shit' looking down, and Bobby groaned leaning his head back.


	8. Welcome Home, Jack

_Disclaimer: Only own Nikki and Cali. No one else though. Damn._

_A/N: So it's been a while, I hope everyone is doing well. My first semester is winding down so I guessed I should update some of the stories I left behind for a little while. Not much to say except thanks for the new readers, thanks for the reviews and thanks to those who made this story a favorite or put an alert on it. It's nice to know people like it. Reviews, please. Feedback would be lovely._

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"They're weird," Nikki muttered walking out of the living room as she and Jack made their way into the kitchen to find the number for Chinese food. "You guys are fuckin weird," Nikki said, louder as she plopped down into her seat. Jack sat in front of her and stared. She raised an eyebrow. "What's your deal?"

"Nah, I just missed you," Jack said, smirking.

Nikki scrunched her nose. "Gag."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

Nikki flipped through the phone book. "How was the trip back? Everyone okay? Larry still alive?"

Jack gave a slight laugh. "Surprisingly, he is." He shrugged a little. "You know, it's the same. Nothing really changed, just the same old thing."

Nikki glanced up. "So the city was fuckin' awesome?" Jack nodded.

"How was the job?" Jack asked and Nikki gulped, pausing for a second.

"Uh," She hesitated. "It sucked." She looked up. "You know, it's a job. They all suck. But this one isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Jack got up and grabbed the bag of beef jerky, taking one out and throwing it at Nikki, who wasn't even looking up and got hit in the forehead. Jack laughed and Nikki raised her middle finger at him.

"You didn't punch any kids in the face?" Jack asked, sitting down.

Nikki picked up the phone and started dialing. "Surprisingly not."

Jack stared at her and gave her a weird look.

"You're getting softer," He said and she glared.

"Shut the fuck up, mother fuck- Oh, hi. I'd like to place an order," Nikki said getting up and walking past Jack, slapping the back of his head.

Laughing, Jack rubbed the back of his head and stared out the window. His smile faded realizing it wasn't bricks in front of him. There wasn't the hustle and bustle of taxi cabs honking. It wasn't New York City. Clenching his jaw, Jack quietly slammed his fist against the table and got up, taking a forceful bite out of his beef jerky.

- - - - - - - - -

"Fifteen minutes? All right, thanks," Nikki said as she and the other line hung up. She stepped outside in the frigid air without a sweater yet she couldn't feel anything. She was numb enough not to get frost bite. Sitting down at the stairs, Nikki stared at the snow in front of her. She closed her eyes and searched. She searched for a memory of her mother, anything. Nikki furrowed her eyebrows and snapped her eyes open finding nothing. Not a damn thing.

"Ey," Nikki heard Jack and she rolled her eyes.

"Stop following me," Nikki muttered and turned to face Jack, glaring playfully.

"Aren't you freezing?" Jack ignored her statement. He took off his jacket and placed it on top of her head.

"I don't need it," Nikki said, throwing it back. He sat down beside her.

"You okay?" He asked, knowing that something must have been wrong by the look on her face.

"Nope." Nikki stood up. "I'm just hungry."

She walked back inside as Jack sat there, still looking at where he sat as he merely glanced at the door the slammed shut. "Hungry," He mumbled putting his jacket on and pulling out a cigarette. "Sure."

- - - - - -

"Where's Nick?" Bobby asked as he and Cali sat on the couch, closely while looking at Jack.

Jack looked at them, giving them a weird look.

"Fairy," Bobby said, snapping him out of it.

"Uh, I don't know, she walked in before I did," Jack said, walking in front of them to the chair.

Bobby looked upstairs. "What the fuck is wrong with her?" He asked and Jack shrugged.

"I don't know," He muttered, slightly angry that Nikki was acting the way she was when he just came back.

"I'm hungry as hell," Cali stood up. "Do you have anything in there?" She pointed to the kitchen.

"Beef jerky on the table," Jack said, giving a nod.

"It'll do," She said, walking out of the room.

"What's wrong with you?" Bobby asked, with an attitude.

"Nothing," Jack said, keeping his eyes on the TV and not on Bobby.

"Did you and Nikki fight?" Bobby continued.

"No," Jack replied with his one word answers.

"Then what the fuck is wrong with you?" Bobby pressed on.

Jack glared. "I said nothing," He said and Bobby backed off.

"Okayy, it's someone's time of the month," Bobby rambled quietly, changing the channels as the colors of the TV showed on Jack's face.

He didn't know what was wrong. He couldn't pinpoint it. He couldn't get why Nikki was hiding something from him. He didn't understand how things changed so dramatically in a few months. He sunk into the seat and leaned his head back.

He couldn't remember why he moved back home.


End file.
